Optoma Hd 81

[georgev]

This projector is on my shortlist for my new Cinema Room. I will be seeing a demo. tomorrow at the Sound and Video Expo here in Johannesburg.
Just wanted to know if any one has demoed it yet and your thoughts?
George.

[George Bellefontaine]

Hi, George. This baby is still relatively new, but I have read the odd owner review at another site and apparently it is supposed to be a real honey with excellent contrast, but with US msrp at $10K I don't imagine anyone is breaking down the doors to get 'em.

[georgev]

Hi George,
Went and saw itin the flesh, was a stunning picture. Very realistic fleshly tones. I did not pick up and rainbow. They were demoing it with an ordinary cheap dvd player.
I believe the RRP has come down stateside to 5999.00, perhaps will come down more.
It has the outboard gennum scaler so you run only the one hDMI cable to the PJ.
The PJ uses the same DLP chip as does the Marantz VP 11 and the Projection Design 1080, and the same VXP 9351 chip for the scaling, but the other two cost >3x's the Optoma.
Would you wait for other 1080p PJ's to also come out or get one of these?
Thanks,
George.

[George Bellefontaine]

If you like what you saw and can get a good deal, I don't see any reason to wait.

[sirbogey]

I had the Optoma 753 for 4 years and it was by far the worst experience in my HT life. Bought it for $2,500 back in 2002 and the pj broke down 6 times in 3y before I insisted to have it finally replaced, short before the 3y warranty expired. They sent me a refurbished one and of course it died on me this summer. Of course, the warranty expired and they told me good luck. Optoma, no thank you, wouldn't recommend. Especially for that amount of cash.

Just got the Panny AE900 (with extended warranty that is, lesson learned). The picture is stunning. What a difference 4y of improvements in technology make?! Can't wait to hook it up to an upscaling DVD player.. Yuppie. Keep my fingers crossed.

[George Bellefontaine]

Yeah I have read some nasty stuff about Optoma but hopefully they have their act together. Now I should point out that Panasonic isn't exactly a winner either. I had a real problem with them over an RPTV a few years ago and said I would never buy another Panny product. And I won't bother to talk about Sony who probably have the worst record out there. But manufacturers with excellent track records are hard to find. No matter what brand you buy, today, it's like spinning the roulette wheel. The one thing I know for certain is it pays to choose the dealer you buy from carefully because they can make the big difference when you are not happy with the manufacturer. You may pay a little more by using a local dealer but I know from experience that it is well worth the extra dough.

As for extended warranty, yeah I would highly recommend them when it comes to projectors.

[georgev]

Totally agree about using a good dealer who will look after you and fight the fight for you.

[sirbogey]

totally agreed. that's what my high end dealer said as well. He couldn't believe my story and meant he would have fought the case for me. Unfortunately, the price difference back then (incl. currency exchange) was enormous, so I decided to buy it off the internet. These days the pjs are much more affordable.

The panny was less a brand decision. At the end of the day, my current living room is very narrow and there are not many pjs with short throw lenses. The AE900 is ideal for that purpose. Also I prefer to keep it on my self-made glassy shelf above the sofas. The panny's airflow is specifically designed for that purpose.

btw. it's also very quiet...

[George Bellefontaine]

Re: Panasonic 900

I do have to say that Panasonic, with its vertical and horizontal lens shift and its variable throw distance ability make it a winner for many. Too bad other manufacturers don't think the same way. Too often a PJ with very short throw or another with to long a throw will rule PJs out for a buyer. Panasonic solved this and I give them credit for that. I just wish Panasonic Canada would get its act together in the customer service category.